Left alone in Baltimore after his unpredictable lover bails, Special Agent Zane Garrett takes his frustration out on everything in his path until he is ordered to Chicago to back up an undercover operative. When he gets there, though, he finds himself face to face with his wayward partner, Special Agent Ty Grady. They have to deal with the uncertainty lingering between them while they work to retrieve their intended mark, a retired hit man and CIA wet-works operative named Julian Cross.

Ty, once a marine and now an FBI hotshot, has a penchant for being unpredictable, a trait Zane can vouch for. Zane is a man who once lived for his job but has come to realize his heartbreaking past doesn’t have to overshadow his future. They’re partners, friends, lovers, and the go-to team for unusual cases. With Cross and his innocuous boyfriend, Cameron Jacobs, in tow, Ty and Zane must navigate the obstacles of a cross-country trek, including TSA pat-downs, blizzards, their uncooperative prisoners, CIA kill teams, a desperate lack of sleep or caffeine, and each other. Ty and Zane are determined to get Julian Cross to DC in one piece, but it’s starting to look like it might be the last thing they do.

For the rating, let’s just say inflation is involved. By the virtue of not being the worst book I’ve read this year or in the post Beautiful Disaster era, this book has more than earned its third star.

Armed & Dangerous was an enjoyable quick read for the most part. The nonexistent plot and the hypothetical characterisations built on the illusory characterisations within the previous books of the series, made this road trip slash comedy circus an easily digestible read. When Zane and Ty aren’t running from people with guns they’re declaring their love for each other. Over and over again.

The fact that Roux continues to write this series alone shows in the writing. The text flows better and doesn’t have the stop and start quality the first four Cut & Run books have. Unfortunately one author can still write a repetitive script even if she writes it smoother.

In short, if you’ve made this far with the series, congratulations. This thought free book is your ideal brain holiday prize.